Alcohol Abuse Advice

Inhalants Abuse ? Effects on Health

Abuse of any drug has negative effects on both physical and mental health of drug abuser. Inhalants are non-medical drugs like alcohol, Cocaine etc, and they present in sprays, liquid cleaners, which are commonly available at home and workplaces. Inhalants are broad range of drugs in the form of volatile solvents, aerosols, gases and nitrites, which are breathed into the body by nose or mouth and absorbed through lungs.

Mostly children and teens live without any parental guidance are observed as serious inhalant abusers. More than 3 million inhalants abusers are aged from 12-17. Most commonly inhalants are glue, shop polish, gasoline and nitrous oxide. Adults most commonly abuse nitrites inhalants. Effects of inhalants are similar and sometimes even dangerous then alcohol.

Effects of inhalant abuse on health
People typically don’t realize these products as drugs because the intoxication effects of inhalants are just for few minutes. But repeatedly using these inhalants few many hours can cause dangerous effect. The following are few effects of inhalants on health.

On Brain: Hypoxia is a condition when the displacing air in lungs deprives the oxygen in the body. This condition damages cells throughout the body which effects the functioning of brain in less than half an hour. Symptoms of brain hypoxia vary from person to person because the regions affected by the inhalants are not same for everyone. Some feel drowsy and enduring headache, some loss the ability to learn new things and some may not even carry simple conversation.

Dangerous effects: With sniffing concentrated sprays or insolvents the abuser can even die in minutes. High concentrated inhalants may cause death from suffocation, depletion of blood oxygen in lungs as the abuser can lose consciousness and stop breathing. Suffocation chances are increased by inhaling the inhalants in closed area.

Irreversible effects: Abuse of inhalants can cause some irreversible effects. Abusing the aerosols inhalants can cause loss of hearing capacity. Peripheral neuropathies or limb spasms are caused by highly abusing volatile solvents and gases inhalants. Abusing gasoline inhalants continuously will damage the bone marrow. This effects are very harmful and if once occurred can’t be cured easily.

Reversible effects: Reversible effects by abusing inhalants are serious can be cured. Liver and kidney are affected by abusing volatile solvents inhalants once in a while and some times it can also lead to blood oxygen deletion. Infectious diseases can also occur by abusing inhalants. These effects can be cured and controlled by immediate overcoming the inhalants abuse.

Best way to control the inhalant abuse is by giving the treatment before the occasional usage becomes as habit. Parents should be on high alert to habits especially abuse signs of their children because the risk of abuse is very extreme. Educating kids about the dangerous effects and signs of abuse is a remedy for avoiding inhalants abuse.

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